I Survived the ‘Escape It: Chapter 2’ Immersive Experience in Las Vegas
Recently, I had the chance to trek to fabulous Las Vegas for the grand opening of the Escape It: Chapter 2 immersive escape room, a companion to the unmissable Escape It: Chapter One attraction. The rooms serve as something of a hybrid between an escape room and haunted house. Participants are tasked with solving puzzles while simultaneously having the ever-loving hell scared out of them. During my trip, I toured both attractions and was blown away by the love and care that went into crafting this one-of-a-kind experience. Here’s a rundown of how it went.
So often, intellectual property is used as a cash grab to separate enthusiastic fans from their hard-earned dollars. And going in, I anticipated this might be a case of exactly that. But I was so wrong. Each of the two experiences contains a grand total of sixteen smaller rooms. And the attention to detail put into their creation is nothing short of awe-inspiring.
The creative team at Egan Productions has painstakingly worked to fashion intricate rooms that riff on details from the films that 90% of patrons may not even pick up on during their first time through. The attraction is filled with Easter eggs. And they aren’t solely related to the It films. For instance, along the way, we encountered school lockers filled with yearbooks. Upon leafing through the pages, guests will see the likes of Carrie White, Daniel Torrance, and Annie Wilkes, to name a few. Not to mention scare actors with names like Kirby (possibly a nod to the Scream franchise) and Sawyer (presumably a reference to the homicidal family at the core of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre series). It’s flourishes like that which separate the Escape It rooms from a number of similar (but less immersive) experiences.
Also Read: ‘Pennywise: The Story of IT’ Video Panel Reunites the Original Losers Club! [Watch]
The creators of the Escape It rooms have pulled out all the stops with the props and décor. All of the rooms feature grotesque flourishes, ranging from a legless child strung from the ceiling to chafing dishes piled to the brim with wormy-looking contents.
Half the fun is taking in the scenery. I only wish I had the time to go through each of the rooms a second time just to stop and take in all of the sights. Since the objective is to solve the puzzle contained within each individual room, there’s only so much time to soak up your surroundings. If I hadn’t been dead tired after going through both rooms back-to-back, I would have asked the proprietors to let me pass through each a second time just to absorb the intricate design of the unique rooms.
Both Chapter One and Chapter Two begin with an exterior façade that could very easily be mistaken for an actual business. In fact, when our shuttle arrived at the site of the haunt, it took me a moment to recognize that the storefronts weren’t real.
The entrance to Chapter One is staged as the Derry Public Works building. As patrons arrive on sight, an unhinged ‘employee’ experiences a meltdown and haphazardly hands over an ID badge to a patron, which serves as the first clue to the puzzle in room one.
Chapter Two begins at the Jade of the Orient restaurant, which fans will likely recognize as the location where The Loser’s Club reunites after 27 years apart. If you’re still hazy, it’s where the killer fortune cookies come to life. The buffet restaurant is painstakingly recreated, making this a truly immersive experience that gives participants the feeling of actually being in the films.
Throughout the ordeal, guests encounter different scare actors. Each that my group of fellow journalists experienced was fully committed to their craft. I called the restaurant hostess our ‘guide,’ and she corrected me by saying, “Guide? This is a restaurant, sir. I’m not a guide.” Each performer had that same level of commitment to their craft. When they are in character, they are their character. As we progressed through the attraction, our non-guide started pulling us into the narrative. She referred to one of the sets as my grandmother’s house. And I just played along. The more involved we (as participants got), the more it began to feel like we were living in an It film.
The haunt performers do serve as guides to an extent (but don’t tell them that). They are there to provide hints if needed and to move the narrative along. But they strike the perfect balance, never giving too much away or spoiling the surprise. That works to ensure that everyone has an enjoyable time and no one gets stuck or feels challenged to the point of frustration. Moreover, I caught our non-guides giving us a bit of misdirection a couple of times. So, you can’t always trust that they’re actually trying to help. Sneaky devils, they can be, dear reader.
The puzzles are a lot of fun and help raise the intensity. Also adding to the tension level are the actors decked out in Pennywise garb and makeup. They sometimes lay in wait and gaze menacingly. Other times, they provide chase and pursue you as you attempt to flee to the next corridor.
Check out some of the insane designs from the Escape It immersive experience:
I will be the first to admit that I startle easily. I don’t necessarily scare easily. But I jumped out of my skin so many times. One of my colleagues quickly caught onto my low startle threshold and began directing the various incarnations of the killer clown toward me when she would spot them first. It was both jarring and exhilarating.
As patrons progress through the attraction and each room is solved, a new door opens. Sometimes, it’s a crawlspace or hidey hole. In one especially memorable Chapter One room, I laid down in a coffin, and a trap door opened. I rolled through the door like a log and was greeted by a grinning Pennywise. I couldn’t stop myself from shouting something along the lines of “Stay away, you.” That only served to encourage the sinister clown to corner me and intensify my discomfort.
Also See: ‘The Simpsons’ Will Spoof Stephen King’s ‘It’ With A Full Episode Dedicated to Pennywise
All in, the Escape It rooms are something truly special. You don’t even have to be a fan of the franchise to appreciate the experience. Being fond of the property will certainly heighten your enjoyment. But no knowledge of the series is required to navigate the labyrinthine rooms.
As of the publication of this post, both rooms are open for business! And I absolutely recommend taking in both chapters the next time you are in Vegas. You can read more about the attractions and secure your tickets right here.
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